Sakura and Her Scarecrow
by thekatthatbarks
Summary: Life was lonely as a witch. Desperate for companionship, Sakura cast a spell on her scarecrow. Series of one-shots relating to this universe and plot.
1. Companionship

Sometimes it was lonely being a witch. Sakura lived in a cabin far enough away from the village that they wouldn't bother her. They didn't _hate_ her, not like they used to. Most of them were wary of her, though. Only a few came by for potions and medicine. But even they didn't stay that long. She wouldn't call them _friends_ either. Just customers.

In Sakura's long life she'd only had a couple people she'd call friends, Ino and Naruto. They were both witches like her, but they lived far away and only visited every few years. Her master had travelled overseas and she hadn't seen her in decades. She missed them. Their companionship.

Sakura had things to entertain her, her spells and potions that she mixed. She liked to baby the small garden she had outside that grew her herbs and vegetables when she got bored. She was feeling like that now and thought it would be a good distraction from her depressing thoughts, so she went outside. It was late evening and she noticed with a smile that the full moon was already peeking out from behind some clouds.

She had just turned on her water when she saw her scarecrow's arm was torn, probably from the crows. She sighed and went back inside for her needle and thread. She patched him back up and stood back to look at him for other tears. He was getting old and she worried she might have to make herself a new one pretty soon. The black ribbons she had used for his "hair" had faded and were closer to a grey now and his tan fabric had paled to an almost white. He had a lot of stitched up tears from over the years, the one that stuck out the most was the vertical one that went down his left eye – a red bead. His smile still stayed though despite the years and Sakura found that oddly comforting.

Sakura went back to her garden, but her eyes kept drifting towards the scarecrow as an idea rolled around in her head. With a sudden idea, she ran back into her house and grabbed the necessary ingredients along with her spellbook and candles.

After drawing the star around his stick in the ground, she lit her candles; red for love and purple for spirit. She burnt some holly for protection and cut a small hole in the scarecrow's chest with her dagger, sticking a hematite stone inside. She took a deep breath and knelt to the ground in front of him. Then, chanted with her eyes closed, "Mother Goddess lend me your light and power on this faithful night. I call upon you to give this vessel a brain, heart, and soul. May he take on the body of a mortal under this full moon. I humbly ask for you to grant me this gift of companionship. So mote it be."

Sakura kept her head bowed and eyes shut. She focused on the energy around her as she breathed, feeling that familiar warmth in herself as she reached out to place her hand on the scarecrows leg. The scarecrow felt hot under her touch and she could feel the air around her humming. She smiled in thanks, knowing her wish had been granted.

When she opened her eyes, a man stood before her. His hair looked like silver spikes and he had a scar that ran through his red eye. He smiled crooked at her, dressed in the black cloak Sakura had made for him. _He was her scarecrow._

She grinned back at him, happier than she had been in a long time. She told him with her heart pounding in her chest, "Your name is _Kakashi_."

He nodded and tilted his head at her. He replied in a smooth voice, "Thank you, Sakura."

Kakashi was an interesting man. She was relieved that he didn't have a bland personality. It seemed like fate had dealt him random characteristics. He was charming and kind, but also sarcastic and goofy. He had the mentality of a twenty-eight-year-old man, matching Sakura's age in human years – _witches aged a lot slower than humans, probably why many of them thought they were immortal_. It was strange how he _was_ intelligent but everything was also new to him. He learned quickly though and didn't get as confused as often as the months went by.

Sakura found out he liked to read, so she made sure to go to town and buy him a few books every now and then. He helped her with her magic where he could, but he preferred to be outside – she guessed it was because of his former life. He had a fondness for a wolf that would sometimes pass by their cabin. She'd offered to domesticate it for him so he could have a pet, but he'd shrugged her off saying seeing him every now and then was enough.

Sakura had worried at first that he'd be unhappy with his new life. Maybe he'd preferred being a scarecrow or maybe she wasn't good enough company to have for the rest of his life. But he never mentioned anything and seemed content with her. He was fond of her. He stayed close beside her, though she told him he didn't have to and could relax in other parts of the house. Over the course of a year, he became more comfortable with her and would sometimes reach out for her. He would pull her against his side if they were relaxing by a tree or hold her close at night as they slept.

Sakura was _happy_. She not only finally had someone in her life, but she also _liked_ him. But with that feeling, also bred fear and worry. She didn't specify details in her spell, so she wondered if he would live as long as she would or maybe he would die at a human age. He'd cut himself with a knife on accident before so she knew he healed after being injured. He wasn't fragile like a scarecrow, something she'd made sure of in her choice of ingredients for the spell.

So, she burned a message to her old master in the fire place in hopes she would have some insight. She replied three days later and Kakashi brought the singed letter to her while she was working in the garden. She opened it anxiously and read:

 _Sakura, how many times have I told you not to play with life? As for his lifespan, since you are his creator, he should live as long as you do. But Sakura, do you realize what you've done? Kakashi's life will be devoted to you and he will forever be attached to you. He will crumble to hay without you. I understand how lonely you must be with my travelling, but I hope you understand the severity of what you've done. I'm worried. How are you going to handle this?_

· _With love, Tsunade_

Sakura frowned and looked to her left where Kakashi was trimming the rose bushes. He smiled warmly at her when he caught her eye and she asked him softly, "Kakashi, will you go get me some parchment, a quill and ink?"

"Of course," he replied and went back into the cottage. When he returned, he handed them to her with a crease between his eyebrows. "Is something wrong, Sakura-chan?"

She shook her head and dipped the quill in the black ink. "No, don't worry, Kakashi. Everything is fine."

He stared at her for a second like he wasn't sure he believed her, then went back to the roses. Sakura let out a deep breath, before she wrote simply:

 _Then, I shall devote my life to him in return._

A few nights later, the conversation was still running through her head and she asked Kakashi as they laid down in the bed, "Kakashi, are you happy?"

He looked at her confused. "At the moment?"

"Like in general."

He looked off to the side as he considered the question and then back to her with a smile. "I would say so."

Sakura rested her head on the pillow beside his. "You don't resent me for giving you life?"

He frowned at her and put a hand to her cheek in the dark of the room. "Of course not."

She smiled under his touch, the warmth of his hand and how his calloused thumb stroked across her cheek. She was quiet for a minute as she stared into his mismatched eyes, then told him, "You're going to live as long as I do and won't be able to survive without me. Do you…still not resent me?"

He gave her a soft smile. "Mah, by your side sounds like a wonderful way to live." Then, he leaned forward and surprised her by planting a kiss on her lips.

When he pulled away and saw her wide eyes, his eyebrows pulled together and he asked her nervously, "Was that wrong? I read about it in a book and thought…"

Sakura couldn't help but laugh and she shook her head, moving to rest her head on his chest. "You understand emotions, don't you, Kakashi?"

He hugged her closer to him and answered, "Yes."

She smiled against him and assured him, "Then, it's alright."


	2. To Belong

Sakura didn't _used_ to hate going in to town, but she did now. People had stared at her before, but now that Kakashi tagged along with her, people _gawked_. Sakura didn't think he looked odd and the clothes she had made him were similar to her own but more masculine. But she quickly found out it wasn't anywhere near what she had worried about.

Sakura was running low on ink and parchment so they went into the small crafts store. Kakashi wandered over to the fabrics while she paid and she heard some women approach him. They whispered – though they were so _loud_ it was anything but – to him, "Are you with the _witch_?"

Sakura didn't turn around, curious as to what they were going to say and listened. She could imagine Kakashi's bored face as he replied, "Sakura? Yes."

One of them hummed and then asked him, "So, what's your name? You're pretty cute, you know. Are you a witch too?"

Sakura felt her eyebrow twitch as she handed over money to the store owner. Kakashi answered in the same monotone voice, "Kakashi and no."

The other asked him, "Would you like to come over to our house for dinner tonight?"

Sakura felt like she had swallowed mud when she heard the question, but then Kakashi answered, "No, thank you. I belong to Sakura."

Sakura turned around in surprise. _Belong?_ Kakashi was walking towards her already and the women looked at her with wide eyes. They ran by her, hurriedly apologizing, "Please, don't curse us!"

Sakura rolled her eyes at them and if she took her basket from the merchant with a little more force than necessary, he didn't comment. _Sakura didn't curse people._

Kakashi followed her out of the store and she asked him, trying to put some lightness in her voice, "Did you see any fabrics you liked? After we get a few more customers, we can come back and I can get you enough to make you a new cloak."

He hummed in reply, watching her in that knowing way of his. "Mah, I'd like that. There was a nice blue one that I think is heavy enough for a cloak. But we should make you one first. Yours has holes in it." He lifted her sleeve to show her the various tears.

Sakura smiled. _Always putting her first._ She'd still make his first, though she told him, "We'll see."

As they walked back home, Kakashi asked her, "What's wrong? Your lips keep twisting like they always do when you're thinking too hard about something."

She glanced up at him and then sighed, her feet stopping in the path. "You said you _belonged_ to me. I don't want you to think you're like one of my possessions, Kakashi. I know you're stuck with me, but I want you to know you have your own free will."

Kakashi smiled softly at her and reached out to grab her wrist. "You have my heart, Sakura, so I am _yours_. I'm happy to be _stuck_ with you."

Sakura blushed and ducked her head shyly. _She needed to stop buying him all those damn romance novels._ She closed the distance between them and hugged him, telling him, "Then, I am _yours_."

Kakashi chuckled and kissed the top of her pink hair. "Mah, now a witch belonging to a scarecrow just sounds ridiculous."

Sakura smiled and hit him lightly on the chest. "Well, that's the way it is."

He pinched her chin and tilted her head towards his. His expression was warm as he looked down at her, making Sakura feel fuzzy inside. His kissed the purple diamond on her forehead that marked her as Tsunade's apprentice. "Okay."


	3. Onyx Stones

Sakura almost jumped when the broom in the corner fell while they were eating breakfast. She stared at it, pausing in bringing her mug to her lips. "Company is coming."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at her and asked her confused, "But the broom never falls when customers come by?"

Sakura stood up from her chair and looked out the window. "Humans aren't powerful enough to call for a warning. It's either a friend or…"

Kakashi waited, but when she didn't continue, he prompted, "Or…?"

She looked over at him and smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. It's probably Naruto. He likes to come around the summer solstice."

Kakashi let it go and she returned back to the table to finish eating. But her eyes drifted to the window every few minutes.

Kakashi still didn't want the wolf domesticated, but he had taken to walking with him in the morning through the forest. It's what he had been doing when Sakura dragged out all the materials for a scarecrow. She had been stuffing onyx stones in the head when Kakashi came back. Sakura didn't look up from her work when he walked into the room, but when she felt the negative energy rolling off him, she looked up at him. "Something wrong?"

"What're you doing?" he asked her instead, his eyes falling on the scarecrow in her hands.

She glanced at it and back to him, understanding. She reached out a hand for him and he took it sitting next to her in the adjacent chair. She met his eyes strongly and assured him, "This one is _just_ a scarecrow, Kakashi."

Kakashi relaxed but still seemed uncomfortable, so Sakura added, "I'll hang him up on a _different_ stick."

He looked away from her with a chuckle and rubbed the back of his head. "I don't know why I…"

She smiled at him and rubbed her thumb across his skin. "I would never replace you."

He nodded and she noticed with a smile the faint pink on his cheeks when he looked back to her. She let go of his hand and continued sewing the head up. He watched her silently and then mumbled, "I don't understand."

She glanced at him as she started stitching a smile on the scarecrow. "What?"

"When you brought me to life, you used an onyx stone for grounding, didn't you?"

Sakura shifted in her seat, but didn't look at him, knowing where this was going. "Yes."

"Then, shouldn't _I_ be banning negative energy?" Sakura felt a pain in her chest, realizing he sounded _guilty_ about it.

She put a hand on his knee, looking back up at him. "Not exactly. The spell could've been taken different ways. It was selfish, but my intent was for you to rid _me_ of the negative energy I was feeling. So, that's probably how the Goddess took it, seeing that you have."

He smiled at her, placing his hand over hers and then asked her, "Sakura, who are you worried might come? It's been over a year and you haven't felt the need for a new scarecrow until now. You're even filling him with stones."

She sighed. "It never hurts to be careful, Kakashi. There's a lot of possibilities about who our company might be. Not all witches are good and actually a human having enough evil intent could also cause the broom to fall. I just want to put up precautions in case it's not a friend."

"Okay, I'll go find some wood to hang him up on." Kakashi told her softly and kissed her cheek before exiting the kitchen.

Sakura glanced out the window after he left, watching the wind gently shake the leaves on the trees. _She really hoped it was a friend._

Sakura had been hanging clothes out to dry when she heard the bark. She looked over her shoulder to see Tsunade standing beside the wolf with her eyebrow cocked and a smirk on her lips. "I always thought your spirit animal was a slug like mine, but have you made a pact with the wolves while I've been away? This little guy walked me the whole way here when I stepped foot into the forest."

Sakura dropped the shirt from her hands and laughed as she ran over to her. Tsunade caught her and hugged her back. "Yeah, I missed you too."

Sakura pulled away from her as she heard the door swing open from the cottage. She looked over to see Kakashi standing there and watching Tsunade with curious eyes. "Is that your scarecrow?" Tsunade asked with an eager smile when she saw him.

Sakura nodded and led her over to him. When they reached him, she gestured between them. "Tsunade-shishou, this is Kakashi. Kakashi, this is my old master, Tsunade."

Kakashi barely had time to say hello, before Tsunade had grabbed his face in her hand and was moving his head around as she examined him. Kakashi met Sakura's eyes, but she simply shrugged. Tsunade tugged on his hair and even pulled on one of his arms. "Sakura, this is really good work," she complimented as she took a step back and looked Kakashi up and down appraisingly.

Kakashi looked like he felt awkward and chuckled nervously. Tsunade met his eyes like she almost forgot he could speak. "Oh, I'm sorry. Sometimes I get caught up in the work and forget my manners. It's nice to finally meet you, Kakashi."

He rubbed the back of his head. "You too."

Tsunade barked a laugh and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "Well, now that that's over with, why don't you cook something for this old woman? I'm starving."

He chuckled as they walked inside. "Of course."

"I expected you'd be older from what Sakura's told me," Kakashi said conversationally as they ate.

"One of her skills is _youth_. She has spells and potions that make her look that way," Sakura answered, smirking when Tsunade narrowed her eyes at her.

"You better watch your mouth or I won't be passing on the _secret_ in a couple hundred years," Tsunade threatened and Sakura laughed.

Tsunade turned back to Kakashi as she took a drink of her sake. "So, how do you spend your time, Kakashi?"

"I read a lot, spend time in the garden, take walks with the wolf, help Sakura around the house and with her magic."

Tsunade perked up at that and looked over at Sakura. "Magic, huh? Have you been able to teach him anything?"

"He knows what everything means for the most part." Sakura looked at Kakashi thoughtfully with a smile. "But I haven't seen if he has a knack for the craft yet."

Tsunade mulled it over. "He's a magical being already, so it wouldn't be surprising if he did. You know with enough dedication – "

"– even a human could become a witch," Sakura finished for her. It was something that Tsunade had drilled into her brain when she took her under her wing. She didn't want Sakura to develop a complex and think her bloodline meant she was inherently better than anyone else, including humans.

Tsunade rolled her eyes at her and asked Kakashi, "What do you say?"

Kakashi glanced between them and shrugged. "If Sakura wanted to teach me, I wouldn't be against it."

He met her eyes with a smile and Sakura couldn't help but return it, a warmth curling in her chest like it always did whenever she looked at him.

Tsunade snorted and gave Sakura a sly look. "You didn't tell me, Sakura. What kind of candles did you use?"

"Three purple and two red," Sakura answered her, tearing her eyes away from Kakashi.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow at her. " _Two_ red? It would've been better to try and use another color as well."

Sakura blushed at the implication and took a drink from her sake cup. "I gave him an onyx stone for balance. Another red didn't hurt anything."

"I'm sure it didn't," Tsunade agreed with a smile and looked over at Kakashi apologetically. "I don't mean to talk about you like you're just a spell that worked well, Kakashi. But not many witches could pull that off. I don't even think I could."

"Sakura's a good witch," Kakashi summed up simply with a shrug.

Tsunade smiled at him with a nod. "She is."

They chatted for a while longer, before Tsunade stood up to leave with a bit of reluctance. She handed Sakura some torn pages from her spellbook. "I made you copies on my way here. I'd stay longer, but Jiraiya and I have some things to handle in the west."

Sakura nodded sadly, but took the pages carefully into her hands and tucked them away in her own book. Kakashi packed a small knap sack with fruits for her. Then, she walked Tsunade out and saw Kakashi's wolf lying nearby like he was waiting to guide Tsunade back out of the forest.

Tsunade hugged her close and told her, "I'm happy you've found someone, Sakura."

"I more _made_ him than found him, Shishou," Sakura admitted with a bitter taste in her mouth.

Tsunade rolled her eyes. "That boy loves you in a way that goes beyond magic. Don't think you forced him to. You know as well as I do that emotions from spells are toxic and unhealthy. That's not what's happening here."

Sakura nodded, feeling comforted. "Thank you."

Tsunade stepped away from her and like they both expected, the wolf stood and walked over to her. As she turned to walk away, she called over her shoulder, "Don't make me a grandma before I see you again!"

Sakura felt her skin redden. " _Shishou!"_

Kakashi could probably even hear her loud laughter from inside the cottage.


	4. Potions

Sakura stared in horror at her mirror, grabbing at her hair with wide eyes. "K- _Kakashi_!"

Kakashi instantly came to the bathroom at her shout. "What? What's –" He cut off and burst into laughter when his eyes landed on her.

She yelled at him, tearing her eyes away from the mirror. "Don't laugh! My hair is purple, Kakashi! _Purple_!"

His laughter died down to an amused smile and he reached out to comb his fingers through her wet hair. "Mah, you're still cute. I think it suits you."

She glared at him and stalked over to the bathtub to grab a potion bottle. She tried to calm down as she asked him, "You followed the directions for my hair potion, right?"

He nodded and she raised an eyebrow in response. He scoffed and grabbed her hand, not caring that she was only in a towel and led her outside. He pointed at their garden. "I got the soil from the roses –"

"Did you get it from here –" Sakura interrupted and pointed her foot at the left of the bushes then at the right "– or _there_?"

Kakashi paused and looked at her confused, pointing at _there_. "Why does that matter?"

Sakura sighed, though at least they knew what had went wrong. "Over there it's too close to the irises and since the flowers' soil is the ingredient for the color, it made my hair purple."

"Ah." Kakashi looked between the flowers and then at her hair. He told her apologetically, "I'm sorry, Sakura-chan."

"It's okay." She shrugged it off, her anger fading away. She didn't want Kakashi to feel discouraged when he was just starting out. "The craft is a learning process."

He kissed her making her toes curl against the ground and then, told her, "Well, you're still beautiful."

"Good." She smiled against his lips and looked up at him coyly.

He raised an eyebrow at her and she told him in a sweet voice, "Because we're turning yours purple too."

His eyes widened and he took a step away from her. "No, that's okay. The silver makes me look wise."

She followed after him. "Couples do things _together_ , Kakashi.'

He held up his hands with a sheepish smile, walking backwards. "We can cook together later?"

She shook her head. "Mm, no, I don't think so."

Something occurred to him and he stopped retreating and told her smugly, "Well, you used the potion up so we can't do it anyways."

Sakura pursed her lips and considered her options. She settled on sighing and walking back towards the cottage. "You've got a point."

They might not have ended up turning his hair purple, but _she_ did slip her pink potion into his shampoo when she fixed hers.


	5. Frozen in Time

Kakashi was busy binding his own spellbook, so Sakura had ran her errands in town by herself. To her amusement, the wolf – she had convinced Kakashi to at least give him a name, _Sakumo_ was what he had decided on - followed her even into town as if he was taking Kakashi's place. They had been walking back and when the cottage was in sight, she felt the energy suddenly tilter with magic in the air – _battle_ magic. She could feel the warning rush through her veins and noticed Sakumo's hair was even standing on edge.

She dropped her basket and ran to the cottage with Sakumo by her side. "Kakashi!"

She almost tore the front door off in her haste and when she saw hair that was _not_ silver, she grabbed the man by the collar and threw him to the ground on his back. Her energy felt hot and she held him down with her heeled boot to his chest. She'd raised her hand about to deliver the lethal blow, when she realized who it was underneath her shoe.

Naruto grabbed on to her leg with wide eyes. "Sakura! It's _me_!"

Sakura let out a deep breath and she felt her energy trying to cool itself back down. Before she took her foot off him, a movement caught her eye to her right and her eyes landed on Sakumo nudging his nose against Kakashi's leg. Kakashi was standing there as if frozen in time with his hand held out in front of him. Sakura felt her blood boil again and she turned back to Naruto with a glare, her boot pressing down making him whimper. "Naruto, what did you _do_!?"

He looked at her incredulously and then threw his hand out in Kakashi's direction. "There was a random man in your house! What was I supposed to do?"

"That's Kakashi, you idiot! Do you read any of the letters I send you?" At her loud yell and heightened energy, a small fox entered the room through the back door. Sakura didn't spare him a glance, knowing he had learned to not intervene with their _arguments_ anymore. Sakumo, though, watched him warily, but stayed still since Sakura's killing intent had disappeared.

She watched as realization dawned on his face, obvious regret showing in his eyes. He cocked an eyebrow at her, then looked over at Kakashi. "Really? I thought he'd be more –" He dangled his arms in the air like he was a rag doll "– you know?"

Sakura pressed her heel into his ribs and growled, "Change him _back_."

"Okay!" Naruto yelled, hopelessly trying to get her boot off him with one hand while the other gestured lazily to Kakashi. He instantly unfroze and finished the step he was taking. He opened his mouth as if to say something and then closed it, looking more confused by the second. Then, he shivered and watched in disbelief as he breathed out cold air.

Sakura finally stepped off Naruto and kicked him lightly in the stomach, telling Kakashi, "The moron froze you thinking you were an enemy."

Sakura spared Naruto one last look, before walking over to Kakashi and putting her hands on his face. He felt like ice like she had expected. She closed her eyes and within seconds, her palms were hot and she pressed them against his chest sending warmth through him. He gasped from the sudden change and his eyes flickered to behind her where Naruto was getting to his feet.

She stepped away from him as Naruto walked over to them, rubbing the back of his head with an embarrassed grin. "I'm sorry, man. I'm just – I'm pretty protective of Sakura. I didn't think it through and just acted on instinct."

Kakashi nodded at him, a little shell shocked by how different the man before him was from the deadly one that had entered the cottage. "It's alright."

Naruto put a hand to Sakura's arm trying to meet her eyes, but she only huffed and jerked away from him. Naruto whined, "Oh, come on, Sakura-chan! Aren't you happy to see me?"

"Well, you certainly didn't arrive with a warm greeting, now did you, Naruto?" Sakura snapped back at him.

"Heh, I see what you did there – _Sakura-chan_ , don't walk away!" Naruto ran after her as she walked back out of the house.

Kakashi chuckled and simply followed them, leaning against the doorway to see Sakura fight with her friend. He hadn't really seen Sakura this angry before. It was kind of cute. A fox slipped between his legs and ran over to her, sitting in front of her and looking up expectantly. _Wait, when had a fox got into the house?_

Sakura opened her arms to the fox and he leapt up to cuddle his nose against her neck. She hugged him and Naruto complained loudly, throwing his arms around. "You hug _Kurama?"_

" _Kurama_ didn't freeze my – Kakashi to ice!" Sakura yelled back, leaving Kakashi wondering how she was _going_ to finish that sentence.

Naruto groaned. "I said I was sorry! What more do you want?"

Sakura seemed like she was deflating as she scratched behind Koroma's ear. She grumbled, "For you to think more."

Naruto pouted and then yelled, pointing at the _fox_ , "Hey! Watch your mouth!"

Sakura smirked and asked, "What? Is he agreeing with me?"

Naruto muttered under his breath and crossed his arms over his chest. Sakura gave in and stepped towards him with a smile, letting Kurama jump to the ground. She patted his cheek. "I'm happy to see you, Naruto. Come inside and I'll fix you boys something to eat."

She walked over to Kakashi, giving him a sweet smile and paused to introduce them. "Kakashi, if you haven't caught on, this is my moron friend, Naruto and his familiar, Kurama."

Kakashi smiled at them, trying to remember what Sakura had taught him about familiars. Naruto grinned back, clapping him on the shoulder before following Sakura inside with Kurama at his feet. Kakashi turned to go inside and then noticed Sakumo standing near the door, watching him like he was waiting for some kind of signal. He reached out and pet the wolf on the head. "It's alright, Sakumo. They're friends."

The wolf didn't spare him another glance before leaving the house and returning to the forest.


End file.
